


Imperium of the Arcana

by elynalore



Category: Persona 3, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Persona Fusion, Gen, Izuku is a Wild Card, M/M, Midoriya Izuku Has a Quirk
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-04
Updated: 2018-08-15
Packaged: 2019-05-18 04:05:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14845394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elynalore/pseuds/elynalore
Summary: For three year old Izuku, his dreams have never made any sense. It always seems to haunt him. The sickly greenish moon, the twisted and tall tower, masked shadows and still coffins. Still amidst his nightmarish dreams, he has only one desire. To be a hero. When his childish dream is shattered by his Quirklessness, he thought that that would be the end of it. But little does he know that within him lies something far greater than any Quirk could ever possibly be.He is the number zero... empty, yet holding infinite potential.Midoriya Izuku is the wild card.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is the PersonaXBNHA crossover no one asked for. It is simply me fueling my muse and love for both BNHA and Persona 3.
> 
> (Midoriya Izuku is Minato Arisato reborn)

     For Midoriya Izuku, it all begins when he is three. Silhouettes of several unknown people invade his dreams. Oddly enough, they seem familiar to him. The brunette in her school girl outfit, the boy with the baseball cap, the short silver haired boxer guy, the teal hair soft spoken girl and finally the elegant girl with long red hair. They invoke in him a sense of warmth and friendship. There are also others, less frequent but deeply memorable. Like the blonde haired automaton and the other blonde haired woman wearing the royal blue uniform of some sort. Whenever he sees them he can’t help but feel the grief and reverence locked within their gazes.

 

     The dreams never make any sense though. Like shattered fragments scattered about, so are the images and figures. There is a tower so tall it seems as if to reach the sickly greenish moon high above the night sky. A two-headed horned monster with its twisted smiling face laughing its triumph against the sight of his weakened comrades. Finally, a sacrifice.

 

 A chained cross.

 

A seal against the world’s end.

     He remembers the hopelessness and resignation so deeply enough that he feels its ache whenever he gasps awake. Those dreams leave him shaken but he never truly does remember exactly what it is about. They are only imprints of long forgotten memories.

 

     His mother worries, he can see it clearly and he understands. It is strange after all. No little boy should be haunted by nightmares and dreams and yet it happens to her son. She was on the verge of hauling her boy to the nearest child psychologist. Surely there could be someone out there that could shed light upon this strange phenomenon plaguing her son. Her bright-eyed boy was waning after all. Slowly he was folding upon himself, becoming withdrawn and shy. What mother wouldn’t be alarmed?

 

     But it all changes, the day her son watches that one video about a hero arriving and saving people with his bright smile. She sees something in him shift. His once forlorn eyes brightens once more and a smile blooms upon his youthful face.

 

     All might

 

     A hero.

 

     That’s what he wants to be.

 

     A hero that saves with a smile.

 

     She does not need to take him to a specialist anymore. The dreams are still there but somehow they are not as haunting as before. Her little Izuku was back to himself. Like a twinkling little star he shines and her heart overflows with her love for him.

 

     Soon enough, he is off to kindergarten, he meets other children his age. Oblivious and innocent to the horrors of the world. There is one among them that leaves an impression upon him. With his spiky blonde hair and red eyes, Bakugo Katsuki is certainly eye catching enough. He becomes friends with him easily enough… at least for a while that is. When Bakugo Katsuki manifests his quirk and is praised by everyone around him, his attitude towards others changes. Katsuki becomes haughtier and more arrogant as people flock to him more. As more time passes other children also manifest their own quirks. Izuku’s birthday comes and goes without any sign of his own quirk manifesting.

 

     Izuku is being left behind.

 

     Concerned, Midoriya Inko brings her son to a quirk specialist. It is there that they learn an ugly truth. With his two jointed pinky toe finger, Izuku’s fate as a quirkless nobody is sealed. Overnight his dream is seemingly shattered.

 

     How could one such as he become a hero without a quirk?


	2. I: Nice to Meet You Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We meet a familiar face! Well... actually it's two familiar faces.
> 
> ____ is a creeper  
> *o*

          A few years had passed since then, Izuku spent those years alone and ostracized by his peers. No one wanted to be friends with the quirkless wonder. Kacchan was especially cruel to him, he was often at the forefront of every instance of bullying against Izuku. Izuku didn’t let it bother him much though. He was far too occupied with filling his notebooks with information and research about heroes’ quirks.

 

          Someday, somehow, he would be a hero.

 

          His dreams were still a nightmarish mess but it didn’t bother him as much as it did when he was younger. Sometimes he felt like there was someone or something calling out to him whenever he dove into the dream world. It was always so inaudible that he’d never paid much attention to it before.

 

          Everything changed on the night of his tenth birthday. Kacchan was especially cruel to him that day, his taunts stung a bit more than usual and his mom was more worn down by work. But still Inko and Izuku were able to have a quaint celebration for Izuku’s birthday anyway.

 

          His wish was the same as always.

 

_“I wish I could have a quirk to become a hero.”_

 

           As he drifted off to sleep, his thoughts were those of quirks and heroes.

 

 

          “Welcome home, Minato-sama.” Izuku heard a woman’s sweet voice seemingly greeting him. ‘Minato? Who’s that?’ Izuku thought to himself in confusion. Opening his eyes he found himself staring into the golden eyes of the woman from his dreams. Her short platinum blonde hair framing her youthful face. She wore a brilliant smile upon her lips.

 

          Looking around, Izuku noticed that he was lying on a sofa in a huge room. The main theme of the room seemed to be blue. Everything in it was blue. The walls that were taller anything he’d ever seen before were padded with what appeared to be a velvety blue fabric, the sofa he was lying on and even the table on the side was also decked in blue. The wall on the back though was different from the others, it was gilded in metal with a huge clock hanging overhead. Everything about this place was weird and yet it also seemed very familiar to him, just like that woman. Speaking of her, Izuku trained his eyes back on the figure leaning beside him.

 

          “Long have I waited for this day! I apologize for taking so long in freeing you, but after all these long years I finally have my miracle.” Tears glistened from her eyes as she spoke. “The seal remains yet finally you are free! It is all we have ever desired.” She took Izuku’s hand gently into her own, lovingly caressing it.

 

          Izuku was weirded out by her actions, he pulled away his hand from her grasp. “I’m sorry miss, but I think you have me confused with someone else, my name is Izuku not Minato.” He said completely flustered. The woman tilted her head to the side, looking thoughtful for a moment. Realization took over her. ‘Of course, this was an effect in the rebirth cycle. Minato-sama must not remember her or any of the others’ she thought sadly to herself.

 

          “I’m afraid I’m not mistaken Minato-sama, ah sorry, I mean Izuku-sama.” She said gently to him. “You in fact are my Minato-sama, or to be precise, you were Minato-sama before you were reborn into this world.” She continued. Izuku’s eyes widened in shock! Reborn!? No way! That was simply impossible!

 

          “The dreams you’ve been having are all part of your previous memories. You may not remember me but I am Elizabeth. We met here in this very room, hundreds of years before.” She explained.

 

          “This room is the velvet room, or at least it is a replica of the original that lies here in your consciousness. It is here where you formed a contract with my previous master. It is also here where you forged your power.” Izuku couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Contract? Power? What did she mean by that?

 

          “I am aware of the events in the waking world. Much has changed from what this world once was. Long before the existence of quirks came to pass, there have already been numerous humans who possess certain gifts. You were among them, Izuku-sama.” Elizabeth got back up to her feet. She waved a hand down and a book appeared on her hand. Flipping onto a random page she called out with a clear voice:

 

          “Persona!”

 

          With a bright flash of light, something came into being before Izuku. It was a rather funny looking being, His entire body was white and he wore blue jester’s hat and ruff and blue shoes. He had a friendly expression on his face. “This is Jack Frost. One of your first personas.” The being, Jack Frost jumped up happily before bowing in a silly exaggerated manner and then offered his hand to Izuku.

 

          Izuku cautiously took Jack Frost’s hand to shake it. He was bewildered when he felt the cold sensation of snow. Jack Frost on the other hand was simply elated. Vigorously shaking Izuku’s hand to show his enthusiasm.

 

          “Hee-ho, hee-ho, heeee” said Jack Frost. Izuku was bombarded with the sudden emotion of happiness, excitement, longing and hope. All those emotions seemed to be coming from Jack Frost. Izuku could somewhat understand what Jack Frost was trying to say, he’d missed Izuku. He’d wanted to play with Izuku again like before.

 

          “I want to play with you too.” Izuku said softly to Jack Frost. The snow spirit was once more elated by Izuku’s words. He twirled merrily in his joy. Finally! His master has returned. The others would surely be as thrilled as him. They’d missed him terribly so these past few hundred years. Oh! He must go back soon, to let the others hear the good news!

 

          Sensing Jack Frost’s intention, Elizabeth nodded to the snow spirit. With a big grin, Jack Frost jumped up and down while waving goodbye to Izuku. They’ll surely play again soon! Izuku waved back at the happy snow spirit before another bright light flashed and Jack Frost disappeared from their sight.

 

          “Uhm… Elizabeth-san, you mentioned before that Jack Frost was one of my first personas. Err… What exactly is a persona?” Izuku asked Elizabeth quietly.

 

          “A persona is a manifestation of a person’s inner thoughts and feelings. Think of it like a mask, if you will. There are different facets to each individual person, what one may think or feel may not necessarily reflect that which is outwardly shown unto others. Your inner thoughts and feelings that are concealed manifests as your persona, it is what helps you overcome challenges and instead of concealing your thoughts and feelings, personas serve as a true reflection of your soul Izuku-sama.” Elizabeth said to him, a fond smile dancing upon her lips.

 

          “As I’ve said before, you were one of those who possessed this gift. Yet, you stood apart from all others Izuku-sama.” She continued. “Other humans could only manifest one true persona, but you, Izuku-sama, you could manifest countless variations. From heroes to monsters, angels to demons, you could manifest them all.” With those words, Izuku could not begin to comprehend her meaning. There was absolutely no way, right? How can someone be able to do such a thing?

 

          As if reading his thoughts Elizabeth answered. “You are what we call a wild card, a being who holds an infinite amount of potential. In addition to being a wild card, you also were bound to Death. And so, your own abilities were further boosted from your bond with Death.” She let him have a moment to digest what she’d revealed.

 

         “It all may sound farfetched Izuku-sama but believe me, all that I have said is the truth. You know this in your own heart. It is only the lack of your memories that allows doubt to cloud your heart. Do not worry, with time, those memories will surely come back.” Her words were comforting to hear. For someone quirkless like him, to hear all of this was simply incredible. His flickering dream of becoming a hero suddenly seemed to have a chance again.

 

          “I would like to reiterate this Izuku-sama. Your persona is not a quirk. It is your power, your gift and you alone are the only one capable of it at the moment.” Elizabeth said sternly to him. Okay, so it wasn’t a quirk. That’s alright. It’s still a power.

 

           His power.

 

          “Elizabeth-san, can I possibly use this power to become a hero?” Izuku asked uncertainly.

 

          “Of course Izuku-sama. I was only saying that it is not reiterating that it is not a quirk for your own safety. There are people who can use their own quirks to nullify others. Should you encounter such a person, their ability would not work against you. Your power cannot be erased, negated and most importantly, it cannot be stolen.” Elizabeth clarified for him. Izuku understood. People like the underground hero Eraserhead would not be able to use his quirk against Izuku. That was an advantage yet it was also a red flag for his enemies.

 

          Elizabeth felt a subtle shift in the air, dawn was coming soon and the dream would have to come to an end for now.

          

          “I apologize Izuku-sama, but we must stop here for tonight. The waking world beckons you. We shall continue this another time.” Elizabeth said to him, Izuku wanted to ask more things but as he tried, the dream began to fade and he awoke back in his own room. The morning light streaking in through the thin curtain of his window.

 


	3. II: Scuffle Before First Period

      That morning following his dream, Izuku was left buzzing with pure excitement. His dream wasn’t so unattainable after all.

 

      “Persona” Izuku whispered reverently. This was his power. his salvation, Izuku mused to himself yet he was surprised by the light that suddenly glowed in front of him. He had only faintly called out the Persona without really putting much thought into it. How was he to know that simply saying out the words aloud would invoke it?

 

      When the light vanished, he was greeted by the sight of a small winged feminine figure. It reminded him of the stories about fairies and pixies. She had short hair maroon colored hair and her wings were translucent white garbed in an indigo outfit.

 

      “Master! It is a pleasure to finally meet you again. I am Pixie, one of your countless Personas.” She greeted him as she twirled around happily in the air. Her voice was pleasantly soft like tinkling bells.

 

      “Woah!” Izuku exclaimed. He hadn’t meant to summon any Persona but apparently, he only needed to say the word out loud and one would appear. This was so cool!

 

      Pixie laughed merrily at Izuku’s comical reaction. If that was how he reacted to meeting her, how would he react to meeting the others? The ones who were much more powerful than herself, she mused to herself.

 

      “Ah! It’s nice to meet you too Pixie!” Izuku said, his excitement could be seen clearly on his cute youthful face.

 

      Just as he was about to start asking Pixie countless questions, a knock interrupted him before he could even begin.

 

      “Izuku! Are you up? You have to get ready for school.”  His mother’s voice came from behind the door. Realizing that it was indeed time to prepare for another school day, Izuku scrambled out of his bed. Pixie hovered at a safe distance above him. He scurried about his room, hurriedly grabbing his back pack and stuffing the books and notebooks he’d taken out the night before. Once done, he threw open the door to head to the bathroom. As he exited his room, Pixie trailed after him.

 

      “Oh, Izuku you’re up. I’ve prepared your lun-“ Inko who had been busy setting up breakfast was caught off guard as she took notice of the small shiny figure hovering near her son.

 

      “Izuku! What’s that?!” Inko cried out in alarm.

 

      “Huh?” Izuku asked confused. What was his mom talking about? The faint light Pixie immitted finally reminded Izuku that Pixie was still there.

 

      “Oh yeah! Mom this is Pixie! She’s part of my quirk!” Izuku exclaimed.

 

      “Quirk?”

 

      “Yeah mom! I finally got my quirk last night!” Izuku told her excitedly. She really didn’t understand how but it didn’t matter to her. All that mattered was that her son’s prayer was answered. She’d always felt that somehow it was all her fault why her child didn’t have a quirk. Maybe it was Hisashi’s too but who knows really?

 

      “That’s great Izuku!” Inko said happily to her son, tears glistening in her eyes. Gathering her composure, she wiped her eyes as she encouraged Izuku to continue on to the bath. Ten minutes later, Izuku sat on the dining table fully dressed and ready for school. Together, they shared a lighthearted breakfast. Once they were done, Izuku headed off to school with Pixie hovering beside him.

 

      “Neh Pixie-chan, how long can you stay?” Izuku asked as he was walking.

 

      “Hmm, I guess I can stay as long as Izuku-sama’s energy permits.” Pixie replied. She wasn’t really draining much energy from Izuku since she was at her weakest form at the moment. If let’s say High Pixie were the one outside right now then perhaps that Persona would only last maybe an hour before her master collapses from fatigue. She relayed that information to Izuku. The energetic young boy dug through his pack to retrieve a notebook. Here, he wrote down the information about his quirk. This would be the first of his many analysis for his own quirk.

 

      As he thought about his quirk, he remembered that the rule about not letting people use their quirks in public.

 

      “Oh no! Pixie-chan you have to go! I just remembered that I can’t really use my quirk in public or else I’ll get in trouble” Izuku said mournfully. He didn’t really want his Persona to go but rules were rules.

 

      “Don’t worry Izuku-sama~ If you’re worried about people seeing me, I’ve made myself invisible since we left your home.” Said Pixie, dispelling Izuku’s dilemma. Izuku let out a relieved sigh. He didn’t need to make Pixie go away after all.

       Soon enough, Izuku reached his school. He headed to the classroom with a bounce in his step. Opening the door to his classroom, he found that several of his classmates were already there. That would have been fine but since he was known as the resident quirkless nerd he found some of them looking at him like the biggest loser in existence. It served enough to dampen his previously high spirits. Averting his eyes, Izuku headed towards his seat. As he set down his backpack he was greeted by the common sight of his defaced school table. All the usual slurs were there.

 

**~~Quirkless deadbeat Loser stupid Nerd Useless flop~~ **

 

      With a sigh, he sat down and took out his school work book to cover up the slurs on the table. Pixie who’d seen everything was displeased. ‘How dare they treat her master that way!’ She fumed silently.

 

      All around Izuku, his classmates joyfully chatted with one another, various cliques and groups huddled together enjoying their morning with their friends, only Izuku was the one who was isolated from them. No one really wanted to be friends with the quirkless guy. The door to the classroom slammed open and in walked Bakugo Katsuki. He stalked to his own table with an air of superiority that had never really faded since preschool. His two lackeys gravitated towards him, spouting off platitudes that serve to fuel Katsuki’s already over inflated ego. Izuku seemed to fold into himself, he didn’t want to draw the blonde’s ire so early in the morning. He busily took out his notebook to pass the time. Too immersed in his own musings, Izuku didn’t notice that he’d ended up mumbling his thoughts out loud which resulted in catching Bakugo’s attention.

 

      “Oi shitty nerd! Quit your useless yapping!” Bakugo yelled at Izuku, successfully snapping Izuku out of his thoughts. With a startled yelp Izuku jumped in his seat. Bakugo stood before Izuku looking as menacing as a ten-year-old bully could be. He threateningly punched his righthand against his left palm, letting out sparks from his quirk.

 

      “Ah sorry Kacchan!” Hastily, Izuku tried to apologize. He really didn’t want to cause trouble for himself but of course Kacchan wouldn’t let him be.

 

      “Hah?! You think your shitty apology’s gonna cut it for you, you shitty nerd?” Katsuki sneered and slammed his fist on Izuku’s table, leaving the table and Izuku’s notebook slightly singed.

 

      Pixie who’d been observing the exchange could take it no longer. She made herself visible, hovering protectively before Izuku.

 

      “What the fuck?” Katsuki was surprised by the sudden appearance of the small Persona.

 

       Taking advantage of Katsuki’s surprise, Pixie cast a weak Zio against the blonde. It was enough to electrocute the blonde causing him to cuss out a string of curses. The attack from Pixie was also enough to enrage the blonde further. Around them, their other classmates had begun to watch the spectacle. The onlookers egged Katsuki and Izuku to fight. Some more in favor of Katsuki than Izuku.

 

      The fuming blonde made a move to snatch the offending figure of the Persona out of the air, but the small fairy evaded him. This continued for a while yet the Persona remained elusive. Katsuki was hyper aware of the fact he was losing face in front of the other students. Ignoring the flying Pixie Katsuki decided to aim a punch right at Izuku instead. Pixie seeing this, dove in to shield her master. Such action was enough for Katsuki to hit the small Persona and send it flying out of the way.

 

      “Pixie!” Izuku called out, alarmed. He felt anger genuinely swell inside of him at the treatment of his Persona, his friend.

 

      Without him noticing, Izuku began to emit an unknown force, it made his hair flare as if wind were blowing around him and his eyes began to glow. Their classmates were mystified. Izuku was quirkless, right?

 

      “Psi” Izuku said staring straight at Katsuki. The unknown energy that had been building took hold of Katsuki and sent him flying, his back crashed against the board. All of their classmates were alarmed, the previously quirkless kid turned out to have a quirk after all.

 

      The commotion in their classroom was enough to have all other students from different classes clamoring to know what was going on, their homeroom teacher, Takagawa-sensei, who’d still been in the faculty before was pushing through the throng of students blocking the doorway. What the teacher found was an unbelievable scene. Bakugo Katsuki was sprawled on the ground before the board and Midoriya Izuku was emitting some sort of force around him. Taking control of the situation, he went to Bakugo to check on him before barking out orders to the other students to get out of the way and to get the school nurse. Other teachers were cautiously approaching Izuku.

 

      Quirk activation was something teachers were trained to handle but this experience usually happened to pre-school teachers instead of elementary school teachers.

 

      One of the female teachers, Shinozuka-sensei softly called out to Izuku in order to snap him out of whatever it was that was happening. At first Izuku was still unresponsive but on the third time she called out to him, he finally snapped out of it. Izuku met Shinozuka-sensei’s eyes confusedly. He had no idea about what had happened but before he could make sense of it all, fatigue caught up with him and caused to lose consciousness as well.


	4. III: Into the Sea of Souls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Izuku gains more insight to his powers. 
> 
> Featuring our favorite (at least, I assume so?) giant personification of the God of Death!  
> His majesty, the King of Fairies and much more...
> 
> [I got to play Persona 3 again on my phone this weekend. Levelling is hard as F but its still fun as ever!]  
> (ﾉ^ヮ^)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧
> 
> Enjoy! ✧*｡٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و✧*｡

            Izuku found himself standing in the middle of pitch black nothingness. There was no light except for the light that seemed to come from him. Izuku looked around him, surely there must be something here aside from himself yet all around him was just plain darkness. Fear slowly crept upon Izuku’s heart. He didn’t want to be here. He wanted to go home. The last thing he’d remembered before finding himself here was his fight with Kacchan and Pixie! What could have happened to his Persona?

 

            * ~~clang, clang, clang*~~

 

            Izuku faintly heard a muffled noise somewhere in front of him. Gathering all his courage, Izuku took a hesitant step forward. He’d follow the sound, and he hoped it was a way out of this.

 

            * ~~clang, clang, clang*~~

 

Slowly walking forward, Izuku found that the sound was getting louder with each step he took.

 

            * ~~clang, clang, clang*~~

 

            * ~~clang, clang, clang*~~

 

            * ~~clang, clang, clang*~~

 

*** ~~clang, clang, clang*~~**

 

            When the sound got loud enough, Izuku was greeted by a rather terrifying sight. It was a gigantic being that seemed to steal Izuku’s very breath. It also seemed to emit a rather dull light which allowed Izuku to fully gaze upon its entirety. The muffled clanging sound Izuku’d heard before was due to the chains that seemed to wrap around its body.  Its head was reminiscent of a scarecrow’s but it only had one eye on its bloody left side. Its black body was stained by streaks of blood and it seemed to carry two long barreled revolvers. This being seriously beats any and all villains he’d ever seen on TV or on the internet hands down.

 

            Every instinct Izuku had was screaming at him to flee yet his feet seemed as if it were stuck. It was still ways away from Izuku but that wouldn’t really matter if it decides to chase after him. There was simply nowhere to go. In this inky darkness, Izuku had truly no way of escaping. For what seemed like an eternity, its eerie eyes finally locked in on Izuku’s small shaking frame.

 

            ‘This is it.’ Izuku thought to himself in resignation. This was where he was going to die. As the creature advanced towards him, Izuku silently prayed for a quick painless death. When it was near enough, it raised one of its revolvers and gleefully took aim on Izuku. Closing his eyes, Izuku waited for the inevitable.

 

**~~*Bang!*~~**

***Clang***

 

            Izuku heard the gun go off, yet he didn’t feel any pain. In fact he’d heard something else when the gun had gone off. It seemed as if the bullet had hit something else instead of Izuku’s defenseless flesh. Opening his eyes, Izuku found himself being protected by an equally gigantic being. Only this time, instead of evoking a deep fear within Izuku, he felt oddly comforted by it. It was also garbed in black but instead of a scarecrow’s head it had a mask like head with its mouth open in a snarl. On its back were several coffins that served as its cape.

 

            With a great earthshaking roar, the one protecting Izuku lunged for the other. It ravaged the other, tearing it apart limb for limb until it faded into nothing. Once the first creature was gone, the inky blackness seemed to fade as well. Glittering lights filled the once pitch black space not unlike that of stars twinkling in the night sky. Surrounding Izuku with it calming presence. Two lights zoomed into Izuku. When they were close enough, the light transformed into the familiar figures of Jack Frost and Pixie.

 

            “Hee-ho!” “Izuku-sama!” Jack Frost and Pixie cried at the same time.

 

            “Jack Frost! Pixie!” Izuku exclaimed in wonder from his place by the huge black creature. The two personas fussed over him, trying to find any signs of injury. Once they were satisfied looking over him, the two calmed down.

 

            “Where am I?” Izuku asked them. The lights that glittered around him were all so very pretty but this place was nowhere Izuku had been before. It definitely wasn’t the blue room where he met Elizabeth.

 

            “This is your Sea of Souls Izuku-sama. This is where all your Persona dwell.” A voice rang out through the space. One light was flickering towards him, soon it to transformed. The figure that emerged was a male clothed in red, he wore a crown upon his head and had beautiful butterfly wings on his back. He was definitely a fairy but unlike Pixie who was small and tiny, he was as tall as an adult. His long hair was silky black with startling blue eyes that seemed to glow perfectly on his comely androgynous face.

 

            “Oberon-sama!” Pixie exclaimed in shock. She wasn’t expecting the King of fairies to personally make an appearance but then again, all of them were quite excited at the prospect of meeting their master again, even if he were a different incarnation from before.

 

            “Sea of Souls?” Izuku echoed while looking around again. This wasn’t like the beach Izuku had gone to with his mom before, there was no big body of water to be found here. It was just an empty space filled with glowing lights. But it did kinda remind him of the night sky filled with stars.

 

            “Yes Izuku-sama” Oberon said. “All these lights that surround us are actually your Persona.” He continued. Izuku’s eyes widened in shock.

 

            “Eh! Really?!” Izuku said disbelievingly. No way! All the lights were his Persona?! But there were so many of them, he didn’t expect that he would have so many!

 

            “Of course, I would never dare lie to you” Oberon said in all seriousness. “In fact, all of us are dying to meet you again after such a long time.” He spoke a matter of factly. “But some of us are not quite sure about showing themselves.”

 

            “Why not?” Izuku said, tilting his head to the side in curiosity.

 

            “Some of us, do not wish to alarm you. Our outward appearance might be too much for you.” Oberon explained.

 

            “Huh?” Izuku still looked puzzled. What did Oberon mean by their appearance being too much for him? But then he remembered the gigantic one still protectively standing by him. His appearance was surely unsettling to others but Izuku didn’t mind it in the least.

 

            “I don’t mind it, I want to meet everyone again.” Izuku said looking as serious as he could be at least, as serious as a ten year old kid could be. The gigantic creature let out a low growl aimed at the fairy King. Oberon sighed in resignation. Of course, there would be no other choice then, not with Izuku wishing for it and especially not with the God of Death growling at him like some brute.

 

            “Well, you heard him.” Oberon said out loud. The lights around them seemed to flicker. One moment, Izuku was surrounded by light spheres the next he was surrounded by countless beings in all shapes and sizes. Some looked human enough while others not so much. Angels, demons, monsters, ghouls, and ghosts, this was the thing of fabled stories. They swarmed him, surrounding him in their own excitement.

 

            In truth, it was all quite overwhelming but Izuku had meant his word. He didn’t mind it in the least. All of them were familiar to him, like meeting long lost friends. His little heart was filled with warmth and love for all of them. So, this was what it’s like to have friends, Izuku mused absently.

 

            Soon Izuku was immersed in conversation with them. They all expressed their fondness and longing to meet with him again after all this time. He met the Frost family, Jack, Pyro, King and Black Frost. He met the angels: Principality, Virtue, Dominion and many more. Likewise, he was reintroduced to the most devilish incarnations, Beelzebub, Lilith, Lilim etc. The gods and goddesses and finally he met with the heroes and villains of the past.

 

            Izuku was filled with such great wonder that it felt like his world had been so tiny before. In this age of quirks and heroes, it felt like so much was being left out in favor of the heroes of this age. Heroes who worked in agencies, bound by rules and regulation, all trying to make big bucks and be part of the top. How could Izuku hope to know that beyond them, there were far more glorious and brave beings who existed in the stories of old?

 

            Throughout it all, the gigantic dark Persona, didn’t let out a peep. Simply content to be around Izuku. Breaking away from them, Izuku turned to his savior. “Uhm, Thank you for earilier! I forgot to say it before!” Izuku exclaimed in his nervousness. He wanted to know who this Persona was. As if sensing his intentions, it put its large gloved hand on Izuku’s head. Ruffling Izuku’s hair fondly, he projected his thought to the young boy.

 

**‘Thanatos. That is my name.’**

 

            “Thanatos!” Izuku was glad to finally learn the name of the one who’d helped him before.

 

            “A-ano, what was that thing from before?” Izuku asked shyly.

 

            ‘Do not concern yourself with it. It was simply a memory fragment of a Shadow.’

 

            “Shadow?” It kind of rings a bell but Izuku wasn’t entirely too sure. There was simply so much he had yet to know or remember. Izuku wanted to know more but he felt a slight tug at his consciousness.

 

            ‘Our time grows short Izuku-sama, ‘til we meet again.’ Were the last things Izuku knew before he found himself regaining consciousness in what appeared to be a hospital room.

 

            “Oh Izuku! You’re awake! Thank god!” Inko sobbed as she hugged her son. She’d been scared out of her wits when she got the call from school. She left work early to get to her son. Discovering him unconscious was nerve wracking for her! When the teachers explained what happened, Inko was puzzled. The quirk her son had was about summoning beings like Pixie who she’d met earlier that morning. They told her that Izuku had exhibited telekinesis and had sent Bakugo Katsuki crashing to the board. How could that possibly be?

 

            “I’ll tell the doctors you’re awake.” His mom said before standing and rushing out to the nurse’s station. A few minutes later, his mom walked in with a doctor. The doctor was middle aged man, clean shaven and neat. He wore a stern look upon his face. He had a stethoscope hanging around his neck and he carried a small note pad. This was not the same doctor who’d looked over him from when he was four.

 

            “Good afternoon Midoriya-kun. I am Doctor Inose Takashi. I understand you’ve just manifested your quirk recently?”

 

            “Aah, yes, I guess so.” Izuku mumbled shyly.

 

            “Midoriya-kun do you remember what happened?”

 

            “Oh, yeah. Kacchan was being the same as always b-but Pixie tried to stop him mom. Kacchan got angry at Pixie and tried to catch her but he couldn’t s-so he tr-tried to h-hit me. Pixie got in the way. He hit Pixie instead a-and I got angry too but that’s all I remember” Izuku explained shakily to the doctor and his mother. He didn’t mention anything about his excursion to the Sea of Souls. He felt it was far too personal for him to share that part of himself.

 

            “Hmm, I see. So your quirk is the ability to summon some beings to your aid?” The doctor asked Izuku, taking some notes in a short pad. Izuku nodded warily.

 

            “Would you mind demonstrating it to me?” The doctor requested. Izuku agreed and softly he called out Pixie. Opening his palms and picturing the small fairy appearing on them. With a flash of light, Pixie came into being. The small fairy looked up at the face of her master and at the astonished faces of the doctor and her master’s mother.

 

            “How fascinating!” The doctor said in awe. Inko who’d already seen Pixie before was a bit less surprised but watching her son use his quirk right before her eyes brought tears of joy in her eyes. Her son really did have his own quirk.

 

            “Now Midoriya-kun, do you think you can do the same thing you did to Bakugo-kun?” The doctor asked again. Izuku shook his head. He didn’t know what exactly he did to Kacchan before so how could he even begin to do something like that again?

 

            “Ah, I see.” The doctor looked thoughtful while glancing at the fairy in Izuku’s hand. The young boy had explained the circumstance before, and decided it would be unwise to try to recreate those circumstance in order to study the boy’s quirk further.  The doctor unknowingly dodged a bullet by not trying to harm the young boy’s persona. If he’d dared attempt it, well… let’s just say it’s not going to be pretty. The doctor advised both mother and child to continue observing the boy’s quirk and for Izuku to take a break from school for a short while. If new developments were discovered within the next few days, then they should take note of it and to contact him for a check-up before they could officially register the nature of Izuku’s quirk.

 

 

 

======================================================================

**Omake:**

 

            While Oberon was introducing himself to Izuku, the Demons and Female Persona were busy with something else.

 

            “You must not appear before out master yet Mara.” Lilith said sternly the snake on her naked shoulders hissed threateningly at the phallus shaped Persona.

 

            “And why not? Master has never been displeased with this one’s greatness.” It said haughtily.

 

            “Go ahead Mara, just try me!” Lilith hissed. Her eyes burning in cold fury. Around her the other females Succubus, Lilim, Cleopatra etc. were also glaring quite menacingly at the demon lord.

 

            “Sisters, calm yourselves. I am most sure that Lord Mara would not dare dream of traumatizing our master right now.” A lilting voice said amongst the females, Yaksini walked forward to stand before the demon lord.

 

            “Ri-ght Lo-rd Ma-ra?" Yaksini said, exagératingly pronouncing the syllables. Before brandishing her sharp sword before the demon lord.

 

            “We wouldn’t want any accidents to happen, right?” Yaksini cooed.

 

            “O-of course nnnot! Th-this great one was merely overcome with e-excitement. This great one w-will wait a few more years.” The demon lord stuttered.

 

            Around him, the females gave of their own devilish smirks while the other demons just shook their heads in pity for their cowed comrade. Operation: ‘Protect Master’s Innocence’ was a success!

 

(￣ω￣)

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (What did you just read? meh IDK) ψ(｀∇´)ψ
> 
> Thanks for reading, please let me know what you guys think! See you next chappie!


	5. IV: Embers of the Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, sorry for the late update, it was just really hectic these past few weeks. My sister just had a baby and they're staying with us so I've been super busy helping aroung with the baby. 
> 
> So here's a very long chappie for you guys. Honestly I just really wanted to get through the childhood arc of the story because reasons....ヽ(＊>∇<)ﾉ

* * *

 

            After being discharged from the hospital, Izuku and his mother headed home with explicit instructions for Izuku to rest and regain his strength. His mom fussed over him all throughout the day. Izuku bore it with a resigned smile. He knew that his mom’s fussing was due to her worries about his wellbeing. Knowing that he would not be going back to school for the next few days was a great relief to the boy. He didn’t really want to dive head first in the mess the whole incident brought on and he most especially did not want to deal with Kacchan for a while. Heaven knows how much the blond hothead was fuming about the whole thing.

 

            Leaning against the headboard of his bed, Izuku let out a breath of exasperation. To be honest, he still wasn’t really feeling back to his usual self. He felt tired. Exhaustion echoed deep in his small lithe body. This bone deep weariness was new, he’d not really noticed it until after the meeting with his new doctor. Don’t get him wrong, the new doctor was definitely an improvement from his previous one. The old one was just incredibly awful. The way that doctor dismissively dropped the bomb about Izuku being quirkless which almost shattered his fragile dream brought on very negative feelings towards the old doctor. That, and the fact that there was just always this niggling feeling he got on the back of his mind about the old doctor. A sort of wrongness that wouldn’t seem to go away. It was like every instinct Izuku had was warning him off of the old doctor. He just didn’t know WHY?

 

            Speaking of instincts, it seemed that ever since he emerged from the sea of his soul, his instincts have somehow changed. It was as if his senses were heightened in ways he could not truly describe. It’s not as if his vision improved a hundred fold or his hearing could pick out sound from miles away, it was just that his sense of danger was sharper than what he’d had before. Like not fully trusting the new doctor about all the details of his ‘quirk’. A normal 10 year old would probably blurt out everything he knew about his power but Izuku didn’t. At the back of his head, there was a small voice that cautioned against it. His power was his own. He didn’t owe it to the quirks of everyday society, Elizabeth said so herself. Speaking of Elizabeth, he had yet to see her again. Izuku vaguely wondered if he would meet the blonde woman again. He hoped so, there were still so many questions that needed answers.

 

            Later that night as Izuku drifted off to sleep, he found himself in that familiar blue room. Seated on the blue couch was Elizabeth. She looked as though she was waiting. Izuku dressed in his All Might pj’s slowly approached the couch. Elizabeth smiled at him, patting the space next to her in a gesture for him to take a seat. Izuku precariously climbed up the couch and sat next to her. For a while, there was only silence between them. Izuku twiddled his fingers anxiously, not really knowing how to break the silence.

 

            “There is no need to be so nervous, Izuku-sama.” Elizabeth’s lilting voice broke through the silence making Izuku jump slightly.

 

            “A-ano, w-were you waiting long, Elizabeth-san?" Izuku asked shyly. The blonde woman smiled brightly in response. “T’was but a mere moment here compared to before.”  Came her cheery reply. Izuku recalled how long she must have waited before. She’d never actually mentioned how many years it was that she’d been waiting. His persona themselves also alluded to it before but he was still so greatly confused about it. All he knew right now was that he had the ability to summon Personas but all the other components of his nightmarish dreams from when he was younger still made no true sense.

 

            He was a different person before. Minato Arisato. It was a name he’d been called, but Izuku had no true ties to him. Just fragments. Shattered bits and pieces he had no true way of piecing back. It frustrated him. Knowing that he’d been reincarnated was special enough on its own, but still, he’d like to have a more concrete part of that life. What must have it been like before? What kind of person could he had been to be so greatly loved and admired by all his Persona? Were they all just fond of him because of who he’d been? Or did they truly like him for who he is regardless?

 

            “You seem troubled, Izuku-sama. What seems to be the problem?” Elizabeth asked, a frown marring her beautiful face.

 

            “I-it’s nothing!” Izuku said, shaking his head vigorously. He didn’t want to trouble her with his silliness. Elizabeth’s golden eyes peered searchingly upon Izuku for a moment, before her gaze seemed to look past him lost in thought.

 

            “How great must the burden be to carry it all upon your shoulders still?” Elizabeth said absently. Izuku looked at her in confusion. What did she mean by that?

 

            “It all seems so long ago, yet at the same time, it feels as though no time has passed. Since that fateful day…” Her voice trailed off, golden eyes distant, as if lost in a memory.

 

            “Many a guest have passed through these halls to fulfill their destinies. As attendants, it was our duty to help our guests reach their full potential. In this velvet blue room, I stood by fulfilling my duties faithfully and yet that all changed when you came here.” Izuku listened carefully in silence, watching Elizabeth.

 

             “At first, it was the same as usual and yet as time passed in that year… I found myself wavering. I questioned my purpose, my existence. I tried so very hard to continue as I was yet on THAT day… That last day before judgement… I could bear it no longer. When your destiny was fulfilled, I broke away from mine. From my task, my duty… I found a new purpose and I swore I’d see it come to an end.” Izuku was shocked he’d never thought she’d go that far, especially for someone like him. His previous self must have been quite the guy. Could he ever be the same?

 

             “I know all the question you’d like to ask. You are different yet the same as you were before. All that is missing are the memories of that lifetime.” Elizabeth took Izuku’s hand in her own.

 

             “I know how you yearn to know the truth. Who you were… How you were… And yet I am wavering as I did before. A part of me does not wish for you to learn of THAT time. But… I do know it is wrong of me to wish so.” The sadness in her voice carried. It was the first time he’d ever heard it. He’d thought she was just a very bubbly person but now… hearing such sorrow in her voice. Izuku decided he didn’t like it.

 

             “Your smile… your laughter… I do not wish for you to lose them, yet I know learning of the truth could make them vanish.” Elizabeth let out a sigh of resignation. She knew that this was necessary. For his growth and for his dream to come into fruition such pains must be taken.

 

“I cannot restore your memories. Only you can do so.” Elizabeth said after a short pause.

 

“How?” Izuku asked, his eyes wide with unbridled curiosity.

 

            “By traversing the halls of Tartarus once more, will you unlock all that has been lost before.” This was the truth. Plain and simple. To restore what was gone, Izuku must climb his way to the top of Tartarus, just as his previous self had done.

 

             “Tartarus?” What was a ‘Tartarus’ Izuku wondered quietly to himself.

 

            “You’ve seen it, that tower. Tartarus.” Elizabeth explained. Izuku was shocked. That nightmarish tower in his dream?! He had to go there?

 

            “Your desire to become a hero and to learn of the past, you can achieve it through climbing Tartarus.” The trepidation Izuku felt was great and yet hearing about this being a way to truly achieve his dream lit a fire in his heart.

 

            Seeing the fire of resolution light up in Izuku’s eyes, quelled the fear in Elizabeth’s heart. This was her most precious guest, for him, she gave up everything she knew. As a being of power, it was taboo for her to fall to her selfish whims and yet… Breaking the seal… Everything was for his sake. This had always been true. Her existence now was but a flickering flame tied upon his sea of souls. This was one of the consequences for her actions and yet she feels no regret.

 

            With that in mind, Elizabeth summoned her power. A bluish white glow appeared before her and Izuku and from it emerged the book she’d used before. The Persona Compendium. The absolute amalgamation of power granted upon beings like her. Now she would pass it onto him. The union of the power of the wild card persona and the power of the compendium were both needed for Izuku to properly harness his Sea of Souls. With this, Izuku would be able to safely traverse the halls of Tartarus once more. Only this time, he would not be joined by other Persona users. In essence, he would be alone with no one but himself to rely on. Only he and his Personas would go through this trial.

 

            Gently grasping the book in her hands, Elizabeth turned to Izuku and offered him the book. Izuku was a bit confused as he took the pre-offered book. “This book is known as the Persona Compendium. In its pages lies all the information of the Personas you’ve ever summoned. Their abilities, their legends, you will find it all in here. As you may or may not have yet noticed, summoning your Persona takes a great deal of your energy. With this compendium, you will not have to worry about such a thing for it will reduce the amount of energy you would need to summon your Persona.” Elizabeth explained to him.

 

             “But, take care, just because this reduces the energy consumed by summoning your Persona, it does not actually allow you to summon your higher tier Persona like Thanatos, and Helel. You would still need to build up your stamina and power in order to manifest them safely in the real world.” She cautioned him.

 

             “What will happen if I try to summon them out there?” Izuku could not help but ask.

 

             “Your young mind and body would not be able to handle the pressure which will ultimately result in your death.” Elizabeth said, her expression grim.

 

            So, his power did have a drawback, he thought he would only be fatigued if he summoned his Persona, but to hear that it may actually cause him to die was a great eye opener.

 

             “How can I improve this?” There must be a way to train his power, right?

 

             “Traversing Tartarus will help you in terms of courage and power, but you must also pay ample enough attention to your physical body and your intellect. They will be your key in growing.”

 

             “How will I go to Tartarus?” Izuku asked. Elizabeth sighed and looked to her right. A door appeared on the wall where she was looking.

 

             “That door there will take you to the entrance of Tartarus.” Elizabeth told him.

 

             “You will have enough time to climb through the floors of Tartarus here in your dreams. When you feel tired or if you feel you’ve made enough progress, I will wait for you back here, all you have to do is think of this room and the door will appear. When you are fatigued, or unwell in the real world, you will not be able to go here. So please take care of yourself and listen to your Persona.” Came Elizabeth’s sage advise for him.

 

            With a brave nod, Izuku got off of the couch and headed for the door, tonight, he would try and see Tartarus for himself. Clutching the book tightly on one hand, Izuku opened the door and stepped through.

 

            Brightness blinded him for a moment, when his vision cleared he found himself in a huge lobby like room. There was a huge staircase leading up to a door? Or what Izuku assumed to be a door, it certainly didn’t look like one at all. It resembled a clock with just enough of an opening at the bottom to suggest it was a door. Its floors were marbled white and black gilded with tiles with a carpet stretching from the stairs down to a huge door probably leading out. On the far side was a weird looking device. Ignoring it, Izuku decided to climb up the stairs. Steeling his nerves, he took his first step into the unknown.

 

            Izuku found himself in a strange hall. The floor was tiled the same way like the entrance but the walls were lined with some green screens. Making the halls look eerie. His nerves shook, and fear crept up in him. This was certainly more like the nightmares he was used to having. Just as he was almost overcome by the fear he felt, Izuku heard felt familiar call. Strings of a harp broke through the eerie silence of the hall.

 

 

 

**“Thou art I, I art Thou”**

 

**“From the sea of thy soul I cometh.**

 

**I am Orpheus Telos, master of strings”**

 

            He emerged in a bright light. His white mask framed with his white scarf was a comforting sight for the severely frightened child. The harp on his back seemed to gleam with light amidst the dim eerie hall.

 

 **“In this journey that you are about to embark on, let me be the first to come with you as I have done so in the past.”** Orpheus Telos’ solemn voice said to Izuku. With a grateful nod, the young boy and the Persona went forward. It didn’t take long before Izuku encountered the lurking shadows.

 

            Two sprung out of nowhere, Orpheus Telos who’d had his guard up quickly dodged, Izuku protectively cradled in his long arms. He leapt back away from the two shadows, cowardly mayas, that apparently were feeling a bit brave to dole out the first attack. Setting Izuku down behind him, the Persona turned back to the two offending shadows. Taking out his harp on his back, the Persona strummed out a tune, magic flaring as fire scorched the two shadows out of existence.

 

            Everything had happened so fast but Izuku took it all in stride. Watching Orpheus Telos defeat the shadows was one of the coolest things he’d ever seen! He’d seen Thanatos in action before but he wasn’t really that situationally aware since he was scared out of his wits during that time, but now, witnessing the power of his Persona first hand was nothing short of amazing.

 

            The tall figure of the master of strings turned to look over at Izuku. The Persona was quite startled to see Izuku’s beaming face trained on him. “That was so cool!!!” Izuku exclaimed excitedly. Inwardly, the Persona sweat dropped. It seemed that his young master was more excitable than he had been before, not that he was complaining though. He could almost hear the scoffs and envy of the other Persona as Izuku continued to praise him wonderfully for his actions.

 

“Uhm, do you think I could do that too?” Izuku shyly asked him. The Persona was take a back. Of course! His little master did not know how to fully utilize his powers. He could summon and allow Personas like him to manifest themselves but he didn’t know that that was not the only extent of his powers. His master should also be able to utilize all the abilities that they possessed, whether it was a weak Agi spell or the all-powerful Armageddon. Their master had the capability to do so but not yet the knowledge. It would be his and the rest of the Personas duty to teach their young master all they knew. For his safety and for the sake of his precious dream, he would do his utmost to see Izuku accomplish it all, just as they’d done before.

 

            Without any hesitation, the Persona set about teaching Izuku the basics. He taught him the basic skills he had as Orpheus before his evolution to the form he had now. For the rest of the dream, they went about the first-floor level. Showing Izuku how to call forth the power to cast and then allowing Izuku to fight in his own battles. When Izuku became tired, the Persona guided the young boy back to the velvet room where Elizabeth was waiting. Elizabeth cast her own magic to banish the fatigue Izuku felt and finally the dream faded.

 

* * *

 

 

            Izuku was surprised to wake up to mid morning. The young boy had not realized that he’d slept for such a long time. Faintly, he could hear his mother fluttering about out in the kitchen, probably preparing for lunch. Stretching his limbs, Izuku sleepily rubbed his eyes before recalling all that had transpired in the dream.  He’d learned so much from the night before that he was so excited to write down all he knew about his power into a notebook so he could keep track and analyze his abilities. Jumping out of his bed, he went over to his study desk so set on doing so that he almost missed something out of place on his desk.

 

            There on his desk was a familiar looking hard bound book. Its blue cover was elegantly lined with silver that was rather reminiscent of the old European books he’d seen before on a museum. The book had no identifying title on its front and side. Flipping the book open, Izuku was startled to find himself staring at a page that had the image of Orpheus Telos. On the page before the image, he saw the name of the Persona who’d been with him the night before. It also had his legend written below his name and his apparent strengths. Back to the page that had the image of the Persona it had a list of abilities written down below the image. On the top right most corner were the words: “The Fool”. Flipping onto another page he found another Persona that had essentially the same things written down: the name of the Persona, information on their legend, image and apparent skills.  Izuku was elated. He’d not really managed to take a look into the book during his dream and he’d almost forgotten it since he was so busy learning how to cast Agi the night before. He didn’t even think that the book could actually exist outside of his dreams!

 

            Too caught up in wonder of his discovery, the young boy became immersed in reading all the book about his Persona. He read about the legends of the Greek gods, the angels of heaven and the demon lords of hell. He was in awe of the nature spirits and fickle fairies of old. That was how his mother found him later to call him for lunch, sitting up on his desk unaware of anything else but the words on the book in his hands.

 

            “Izuku honey, it’s time for lunch.” Inko said as she entered her son’s room. The boy was startled at the voice of his mother. Glancing at the clock hanging on the wall, Izuku had found that quite some time had passed since he began reading.

 

            “Ah, sorry mom! I lost track of time.” Izuku said sheepishly to his mother.

 

            “It’s no problem dear. Come now, before the food gets cold” Inko said fondly as she beckoned Izuku before she headed back out the room. Izuku stood and followed after his mother. He first headed to the bathroom to freshen himself up before heading to the kitchen for lunch. The young boy and his mother enjoyed their lunch comfortably. Once they were done, Izuku offered to do the dishes but Inko simply waved him away insisting that Izuku should take it easy and rest since he had just been released from the hospital. Left with no other choice, Izuku went back to his room intent on studying the Compendium once more.

 

            Upon further inspecting the book, Izuku found himself on the back portion of the Compendium. On it were several spaces for what appeared to be cards.  There were only two identifiable card the first one was “The Magician” card that had Katsuki Bakugou on it, the weird part about it though was that it was reversed. Izuku didn’t know what that meant and he wasn’t really sure if it was important. The other card was called “The Universe” it had no significant name attached to it. When Izuku had tried to ask his Persona about the cards, they only gave off vague answers about Bonds and Fate. Shrugging, Izuku decided to let it go.

 

* * *

 

 

            And so, the days passed, during night he slowly explored Tartarus with the help of various Personas and during the day he would either review what he learned from his Personas or he would pass the time doing his hobby of researching about heroes. He told his mother some things about his abilities in order to fill out the Quirk Registration Forms. He kept it simple, passing it off as a ‘spirit’ summoning Emitter Quirk that allowed him to use the ability of whatever ‘spirit’ he called out. The apparent downside of it was that it consumed his stamina. He didn’t specify that he could summon beings far greater than ‘spirits’ like gods or demons and the like. There was no need to open that can of worms yet.

 

            On the day before Izuku was to go back to school, Izuku had finally had enough of staying cooped up in his house. The young boy stood up from where he was sitting on the couch and stretched his limbs. He gathered his things and neatly put it back in his room, he’d been finishing the classwork his mom picked up from his school. Once he was done, he let his mom know that he was going to go out for a while.

 

            “I’m gonna go out mom! I’ll probably just walk around the park. Do you need me to get anything for you on my way back?” Izuku called out as he was tying up his shoes.

 

            “It’s fine dear! Don’t stay out too late, okay?” Came his mom’s voice from the Kitchen.

 

            “Okay! I’ll be going now.” Izuku said as he closed the door behind him.

 

            The afternoon sky’s color was beginning to meld in hues of orange and purple. The gentle breeze of wind blew by, easing the heat of the summer day. There were only a handful of days left before school lets out for summer vacation, Izuku mused. He was supposed to go back to school tomorrow and for the next week and a half, he would attend the rest of the term so he could receive his summer homework. A part of him was still anxiously dreading facing his classmates again. He didn’t know if anything would ever change now that he apparently had a quirk. A part of him hoped that something would change. Maybe he wouldn’t be as isolated anymore?

 

            Lost in his thoughts, Izuku didn’t notice that he’d already arrived in the park where he used to play when he was a bit younger. The park was quiet, not at all what he’d expect since surely it was still early enough for little kids to still be playing. Walking into the area, Izuku found the reason why there were no kids around. A few meters from his was the familiar sight of ash blonde hair he’d recognize from anywhere. Bakugo Katsuki was here. The blonde boy was sitting on top of the jungle gym, looking as if he owned the whole damn place. He was without his gaggle of followers though. The blond was busy scrolling his phone and had yet to notice Izuku’s presence. Izuku was tempted to just creep out of the park. But as he was about to turn and walk away, the blonde hot head had finally looked up from his phone and spotted him.

 

            “DEKU!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Bakugo roared in anger as he jumped down the impressive height of the jungle gym. He landed on his feet with ease, sparks flying from his palms.

 

            “Kacchan!” Izuku said nervously. He didn’t want to have a confrontation with the blonde but apparently there was no other choice. Within the confines of his consciousness, his Personas stirred.

 

            “You shitty asshole!” Bakugo charged at him with a punch but before he could hit Izuku, a wall of ice appeared. The blonde ended up hitting the wall of ice instead. He howled curses of pain and his anger rose to even greater heights. Beside Izuku, Jack Frost materialized. The ice spirit looked nothing like his usual mischievous self, instead it looked rather fierce as he stood beside his young master.

 

            As the blonde boy finally recovered from the pain, he narrowed his eyes at his former friend with contempt. The stupid green haired asshole must be laughing at him! Making him look like a fool all these years, hiding away his quirk and lying to his face. The nerve of that useless freak! He’d show him! The blonde went on for another attack, this time he used his quirk to blast off the ice. The ice wall shattered from the strength of his attack. Bakugo sent another blast to the other boy but the ice spirit warded it off with a gust of frosty wind, knocking back the blonde for a few feet.

 

            And so it went, Bakugo would try to hit the green haired boy while the ice Persona would block and redirect the blonde’s attacks. Eventually, the blonde became exhausted. None of his attacks had landed while he on the other hand was not looking so good, he had bruises from the numerous times he’d been knocked back by the icy wind. Patches of frost had formed on various parts of his clothes. The blonde could distinctly feel the chill from the numerous times he was hit with the cold wind. He had no sweat left to use for his quirk. It irked him greatly but there was nothing he could about it now as he knelt on his knees shivering and panting with exhaustion.

 

            For the second time in his life, he lost to someone he considered his inferior. The first time being when he was blasted back by the same useless freak that day in class. The frustration he felt was immense. Why?! How?! Everyone always praised him! He was the best! He was the one with the powerful quirk but how could he lose to fuckin’ Deku?! It wasn’t fair! Deku was worthless! He was nothing compared to Bakugo Katsuki! So how come he was losing to him?

 

            “Kacchan?” Izuku cautiously approached the exhausted boy. Behind him Jack Frost was tugging his shirt, urging him to back away from the blonde hot head.

 

            “Fuckin’ get lost Deku!” Katsuki growled at the green haired boy.

 

            “Kacchan, I’m sor-“ Izuku began but was cut of by Katsuki. “Shut up! I don’t want to hear it you lying piece of shit!”

 

            “All this time, you’ve had a quirk! You must have enjoyed lying to my face huh?!”

 

            “Lying? Kacchan, I’ve never lied to you!” Izuku said fiercely. He had been quirkless before, that was never a lie!

 

            “Oh yeah? Well how do you explain that shit huh?!” Katsuki said pointing at the figure of Jack Frost. “He’s part of my quirk. That day in class, I just got my quirk…” Izuku explained. “Liar! It’s not the same fucking one from before!” Once again Katsuki angrily cut him off. “The one from before was Pixie! She’s a fairy spirit. This one is Jack Frost, they’re my friends. My quirk lets me summon spirits!”

 

            As Katsuki heard Izuku’s explanation, he wanted to turn away and not listen to the other boy. If he listened, it would be like he was acknowledging Izuku as someone equal to him. He didn’t want that. Izuku could see that in some part he was finally getting Katsuki to really look at him and listen but at the same time he could also see that Katsuki was trying to close himself off.

 

            “Kacchan! When we were younger we both promised we were going to be heroes together. I know you must have been disappointed when I didn’t get my quirk, but everything’s different now! I can be a hero now! I can keep my promise!” Izuku screamed with all his might. As if saying things louder would let the blonde boy hear him and it did.

 

            Reeling back as if physically struck, Katsuki was reminded of something he’d forgotten long ago. That promise. They both swore they’d be heroes together but when Izuku was pronounced quirkless. It had felt like Izuku broke his promise and it had made him so angry. That anger never really went away over the years, Izuku was still trying to be a hero even without a quirk. He tried to beat him down because of it. How could he be a hero if he was quirkless? It just didn’t make any sense to him.

 

            But now though, Izuku had more than proved that he wasn’t quirkless. Did that mean that Izuku was his equal? Did that mean that Izuku’s quirk was better than his? Did that mean that Izuku was better than him? There was no way! Right!? It was just simply impossible! Thoughts of denial rang through Katsuki’s head. For the first time in his young life, he was being confronted with the possibility that someone else was better than him. Someone else’s quirk was better than his own and that was an incredibly bitter pill to swallow. Aside from being confronted with the ugly truth, he also experienced another bitter first. In all his inability to accept the truth, Bakugo Katsuki did something that was entirely unlike him. He ran. He picked himself up from the ground, bruises and all and ran past Izuku.

 

            Izuku was left alone in that park, silently staring at Katsuki’s back. The figure of his once best friend fading further and further from his view. In their history perhaps, it would be prudent to note that for the first time, Izuku was not the one left lying on the ground beaten badly. Yet it did not feel like he’d won. In fact, it left him feeling a bit hollow inside.

 

* * *

 

            But life had to go on, Izuku couldn’t let himself be bound by the shackles of his broken bond with Bakugo Katsuki. That was what it was. A broken bond. The inverted card of the Magician was the symbol of the current state of his friendship with him. As much as he’d wanted to repair it, if Katsuki didn’t want the same then there was no use. And so, life went on. Izuku went back to school. As soon as he did, he found that a lot of things were changing around him. People who’d dismissed him before now wanted to be ‘friends’ with him. The bullying had all but stopped as Katsuki himself kept his distance from the green haired boy. Many people tried to integrate themselves upon his life. Had he been the same isolated boy, he would have welcomed their attention but Izuku was not the same. As much as they tried to hang around him, the whispers of his Persona prevented them from ever becoming more than acquaintances.

 

 

 ** _‘Not right.’_** They whispered, about the smiley jock who tried to invite him out for a game of Basketball.

 

 

 ** _Not right._** Once again, they said this time about the pretty girl who tried to ask him out for a date.

 

 

 ** _Not right.’_** This time, about the nervous bookish guy two classes below him.

 

            Izuku never dismissed whatever his Persona tried to tell him. He let his Persona guide him. One after another, he found out why. It turned out that the smiley jock was just looking to have him as a follower to feed his ego. The pretty girl who tried to ask him out only did so because she thought his quirk was cool and that he’d be nice piece to hang on to feed her popularity. And the nervous bookish looking guy was just looking for a shield to use. He didn’t particularly feel anything about it when he’d discovered their motivation for trying to be friends with him. He had far too many things to worry about. Juggling his studies and trying to climb up a 264 floor tower by himself left him far too busy to be completely invested in anything else aside from that.

 

* * *

 

 

            Days, weeks, months and years flew by. In that time, Izuku slowly but steadily progressed. Climbing and fighting his way through the maze of Tartarus, until finally on his third year of middle school, Izuku reached the top. He was faced with the exact same thing his previous self had faced. A battle against the avatar of Nyx. It was one of the hardest battles he’d ever faced. He’d been terrified out of his wits but still he found the courage to move forward and he did. That victory was hard fought and bittersweet. But what came after though lead Izuku to unlock what had slumbered within him. Being faced with the horror that was the collective malice and grief of humanity was beyond anything Izuku could have ever comprehended. Like a play unfolding before his eyes, all his Personas stood before It, fought against It and was decimated by It.

 

            Izuku himself couldn’t move, only watch as it took place before his very eyes. At the peak of utter defeat, He appeared. A blue haired teen a bit older than him, wearing what appeared to be a school uniform with a red arm band and wielding a gun and a sword. There was no doubt in Izuku’s mind that this was his previous incarnation. Arisato Minato. In one brief moment, their eyes met. Grey against green. Past against present. He smiled at Izuku and gave him an approving nod before turning back to face It. Raising His gun to the side of his head, he pulled the trigger. Izuku watched as blue fragments scattered from the side of Minato’s head. He watched as his previous incarnation summoned a Persona he’d not met before. Its appearance was almost the same as Orpheus Telos but starkly different at the same time, on its left arm hung the chains and coffins he knew from Thanatos. ‘Messiah’ whispered a voice in his mind. Yet knowing the name of the Persona did nothing to help him move. Still frozen in place, Izuku could only watch as Minato did what he had to in order to stop the ravenous monster. He watched as his previous self became the seal that prevented It from fulfilling its purpose. When it was finished, light engulfed him and he found himself on the top of the tower.

 

            Like waking up from a nightmare, Izuku’s body shook. Tears trailed upon his freckled cheeks as he tried his best to suppress the sobs that threatened to spill from his pale lips. He felt so incredibly vulnerable that it took him what seemed like hours before he recovered enough to notice that he was not alone. Elizabeth had been waiting for him. The familiar sight of her was comforting. It didn’t banish the horrors what he’d witnessed but it served to ease his troubled soul. All his memories as Minato Arisato had been uncovered. The shattered fragments of his previous life was now once again whole.

 


End file.
